Hidden Character-Sneak Peak 2
by CandleHeadButt
Summary: More tidbits for you guys. WIP of Vanellope getting to know someone but as it turns out, things are not all so peaceful as she thinks.


Vanellope glitched in front of the woman, her eyes filled with so much hate and anger. The little racer had never felt such darkness before in her life but with everything that had happened to her, to her FRIENDS, she wasn't going to hide it now.

Not this time, not with how things had turned out.

Vanellope hadn't trusted the woman before. She had acted so skittish and hollow towards her when she arrived and she could SMELL the lies coming off of her even as she sat silent in the room.

She may have had the others fooled; Ralph, Felix, Calhoun….

Taffyta.

She might have had them fooled, but she wasn't going to be tricked, not this time.

Lies had ruined Vanellope's life once before and she wasn't going to allow it to happen again. Not to her, not to ANYONE in the arcade.

But of everything that she wanted to know, there was just one thing.

One, simple thing.

"How?" Vanellope said in a heavy tone, her eyes glaring at the older woman before her.

**** just blinked, the worn look of a tired character staring back at Vanellope.

"W-What do you-?"

"STOP THE ACT, *****!" Vanellope shouted, glitching upon the table, adding more shock to the woman's face "I wanna know how ya did it! How did ya get past me?!"

"Get past you?"

"Don't play stupid with me…." the girl snapped, feeling the same wave of emotions that had come over to her when Mal had fallen into her hands "There HAS to be a reason why you can get past me! An' for someone who didn't even KNOW I could glitch! HOW DID YA DO IT?!"

For a moment or so, **** hesitated, looking as if she were returning to her shell she often went into when she felt overwhelmed.

But as she looked into Vanellope's eyes, a feeling came over her as well.

**** realized something. She realized who was angry at her and she realized WHY.

All in that moment, everything came flooding in. **** realized just what was happening and what it meant to not only her, but the characters who she had come into contact with. She had a list a mile long of offenses, each one she had promised HERSELF she would pay for and as she looked into the child's eyes she began to see it.

It was clear now.

All the fear, all the rage, all the sorrow and self-blame.

It had all been brought to the surface but this ONE CHILD…..

And as this child glared at her, **** saw whom she was really facing.

There was a sense of coolness going over the woman's body, as if everything was starting to melt around her. She clutched hands and limbs began to loosen as she looked further into Vanellope's eyes.

The child might have attempted to put on a brave face but she could deep within, deep within the code….

She was scared.

Not just of Mal. Not just of Tor. Not just of ***.

But of her as well.

Scared?

Vanellope was SCARED of her?

**** could feel her lips starting to curl, her heart starting to flutter.

Everything was starting to drift, drift away like a solitary rose petal on a gentle wind.

"Child…." The woman began, relaxing herself as she moved her chair back, crossing her long legs on the table "You ASK that as if I conspired in some NEFARIOUS plot against you."

Vanellope stood up on the table, trying her best to remain calm and bold before the woman, at least not to trigger another attack as she had before.

"Listen, **********. I've dealt with rat-faced types like ya! Always messin' with code ta get their way an'-!"

"Child…" **** chuckled, holding up a hand as she hushed the child "I did NOTHING to your code when we fought. But if you really want to know how I got past your GLITCH, I will tell you."

Taking a few steps back, the girl crossed her arms against her chest, her gaze not broken between the other character.

"G-go on."

**** smirked, her eyes narrowing "Its simple to get past your GLITCH when its just a shittier version of my final boss'."

Vanellope felt something drop from within her as those words came from ****'s mouth and the way that the woman was smiling up at her.

"Oh, you surprised to hear that?" **** said, her voice dripping with sarcasm "I mean, its not like there has NEVER been a character PROGRAMMED with a teleporting power! Oh NOOO! Vanellope Von Schweetz is the ONLY character EVER to have such a power! You are so NEW and SPECIAL! Even though I could your moves coming a mile away and there's nothing hiding your glitch considering that you glow brighter than the sun when you do it. My BLIND partner could see you coming a mile away and beat your ass to the ground, you're so obvious!"

Gracious.

Someone was mad.

Of course, Vanellope wouldn't have taken those words too deep had it not been for one thing.

Unlike a lot of people in the arcade, **** HAD caught Vanellope and she caught Vanellope like she was PROGRAMMED to.

But it wasn't just ****.

It was Mal.

It was Tor.

It was ***.

And from what had happened during the last few races, the other racers had caught it as well.

**** had found Vanellope's weak spot but rather than giving ONE soft jab, the woman had stabbed a KNIFE right through, twisting, turning, and going as deep as she could.

She knew what she had said to Vanellope hurt. She was GLAD that the words had stung. She was GLAD that they had hurt.

"You think you're SPECIAL, don't you?" **** said, sitting up, her once posh demeanor dropping for something much more harsh and crude "You think that just because you can jump around like a hyper active flea, you can run people, that ya can do whatever ya want to 'em an' suffer nothin' from it. Lemme tell ya somethin'**_ PRINCESS._** I spent nearly two decades of my life SURROUNDED by glitches. Glitches that have it worse off than YOU. GLITCHES who spared no time in dragging me in the back of corners to beat the living pixels out of me and for WHAT? Because just like YOU, they thought they were doin' something by takin' there REVENGE against me!"

Vanellope could feel her brows bunching in anger as her cheeks turned red hot "N-now hold on."

"No…" **** said, standing up, her head nearly touching the top of the ceiling "YOU listen you, you self-righteous arrogant little SNOT. Since DAY ONE that I got here, you've been riding up my butt but the moment I asked you to stop, what did you do?"

Silence once again filled the room as the two stared each other down.

"**_WHAT DID YOU DO!?_**"

Vanellope glitched back, landing on the floor.

That voice.

It was back.

The racer looked into the character's eyes, seeing they were once again shift in shape, showing that SHE was coming through. **** seemed to calm for a moment though, looking at Vanellope as if she were nothing more than a child.

But she WAS a child.

"You see, that's your problem. You've been pumped up so much here that you think you can do ANYTHING to ANYONE and all you have to do to get out of it is give people a little shit eating grin and put your hands in your pocket."

****'s fingers slid on the cold metallic top of the table, squeaking as they did so. She shook her head, a soft smiling appearing.

"Baby, that's not how things work in the REAL world….and in the real world, you're not as INVINSABLE as you think you are."

Vanellope balled her first; the way that **** was talking to her…it reminded her so much of Turbo.

No, this was worse than Turbo.

Despite all the flaws and ego that he had, at least Turbo HAD SOME restraint and at times, he could find himself flustered when confronted by someone who got one over him,

But **** was a different matter. She was gunning on Vanellope, years and years of pent up rage finally spilling out untapped.

Of course, it wasn't as if Vanellope didn't have a hand in turning the key that had released the beast from within.

She had thought the beast had returned within ****, that things had gone back.

But that was far from the truth. The beast was back, looking Vanellope right in the face.

Beauty was covering it, but it was just as vicious and blood thirsty as it was when it moved on four legs.

"You want to hear a story?" the woman said, smiling softly, returning to her soft, motherly nature "Yeah, you want to. I know you do."

**** then sat down, not even caring if Vanellope hadn't gotten off the floor.

"A few years ago, I was in the service of a little princess. A princess JUST LIKE YOU." **** began, her voice bright and cheerful "Day after day, she wasted no time in reminding me of what had become of my game. That **_I_** should have been deleted rather than my team because unlike them, **_I_** was worthless! Despite being on the same roster and serving the same function."

Vanellope felt trapped, almost as if the room were shrinking around her as the woman continued to talk, her face growing darker.

"The little princess humiliated me, taking advantage of how I used to carry myself. She would threaten me with execution just to see me squirm or go silent. She would go through my things, taunting me with the few possessions I had left. She even took my photo box and threatened to burn the photos I had left!"

**** stopped again, looking at Vanellope with glittering eyes.

"**_SOUNDS LIKE YOU, DON'T IT?_**"

Vanellope inched towards the door, wanting to glitch out but as she did, **** moved.

"Hu…"

The girl screamed in terror as ****'s tall body blocked the door, pushing Vanellope back into the room. Her neck seemed to stretch out, her limbs elongating.

"The little princess was so much like YOU! She had so many people who told her what she did was CUTE and FUNNY and because of this, she kept going. She kept going. She KEPT GOING!"

Vanellope fell on her behind, backing into the leg of the table with a painful conk to her head. She moaned, rubbing the sore spot but as she looked forward again, there it was.

That face.

That sinister, maddened face.

Vanellope tried to gasp, to scream, to say anything but the words were sucked from her throat. ****grasped onto the ends of the table, her back twisting like taffy much to the racer's fear and disgust.

"But one day, the virus came back." **** continued "I tried to warn the princess but because of what she thought of me, as well as herself, she ignored my warnings. She thought that her POWERS and her FANS would protect her!"

**** sneered, so many LONG, SHARP, WHITE teeth showing through.

"But no one came. No one came to help when the virus attacked. I was there in the throne. I jumped in but she pushed me back once more. 'You are useless to me!' she called….and then. It got her!"

**** pointed her jagged, virus-gnawed hands at Vanellope, those sharp nails going in much too close.

"_And then SNAP! Up like a spider with a fly, the princess was caught. I lay near the throne, unable to move as the girl screamed. She called for her subjects but those who were not dead fled, leaving her with the virus. I still remember the cries, the screams, and….."_

The woman opened her maw wide, looking as if she were ready to bite Vanellope herself.

**"CHOMP!"**

Without even realizing it, Vanellope felt herself gasp and move back, feeling her skin crawl at the hard CRACK as fangs clashed on each other. She opened an eye, seeing **** looking just as crazed as ever, her fingers going into their beast-form again.

"OFF CAME HER HEAD!" **** said with a chilling sound of happiness "Chew, chew, chew! The princess was gobbled up before me! The virus didn't care what powers she had, her status, of how she tried to TALK her way….to it, she was LUNCH."

Seeing Vanellope looking at her in such a manner, **** seemed to lighten up, her form slowly returning to something that looked HALFWAY human. A look of disgust appeared on her face a second later however as she stood back on her feet, her form looking graceful once more.

"Well, PART of her anyway…." The woman snorted coldly "The head must have been good for only a few bites later, what was LEFT of the princess was spit back up on the throne."

"A-And there was a POINT to that story?!" Vanellope said, both disgusted and angry.

"The moral? Viruses don't give a shit WHO you are. You might think you're the president of this arcade, but to them? You're lunch."

**** let out a hardy laugh as she placed a hand on her side.

"PFFT! PRESIDENT? PRINCESS? Who am I kidding?"

Vanellope looked up, a lump forming in her throat.

"From the way you've treated me and from the way you are so BLISSFULLY ignorant of EVERYTHING that is happening on your own game, you've proven to me that you don't possess any traits of a leader. You're nothing more than a child, dear. A child. A child that is playing dress up and has been allowed to sit at the grown-up table just because a few of your 'buddies' felt like entertaining you. Sad part about it though? It left ya **_WIIIIIIIIDE_** open."

**** heard a scream, turning just in time to see Vanellope GLITCHING towards her, a hand balled into a fist and aimed for her face.

But it was the same old song.

**** moved only but five inches away from Vanellope, the girl missing the woman once more but even worse, **** had caught her. The woman took a hold of the racer's fist and brought it to her lips.

"_Chu…._"

Vanellope cried in disgust as she pulled away, feeling the kiss on her hands.

"UURGH! Why are you so MEAN?!"

**** shrugged her shoulders, turning her back on the girl "Mean? Hmmm, I've been called worse. MUCH worse."

"Don't think you're gonna get away with this!" Vanellope shouted, standing on her feet "You're playin' us! ALL OF US! An' for what?!"

"Playing you?" **** scoffed, opening the door "Child, you would KNOW if I had played you."

"How would AH-!?"

Vanellope didn't get a chance to reply as she felt a heavy force SLAM on her chest, her body flying back as she landed against the wall with a thud.

She was doing it again; that stretching, that bending. **** was standing at a longer distance than anyone character should have but even with **** far away, Vanellope could see the hate burning in her eyes.

"You'd know….because I would be rippin' you an' your lil buddies LIMB FROM LIMB."

Vanellope continued to struggle, the thought of her friends in danger only making her fight harder.

"But that's what you want, isn't it PRINCESS." **** said "You WANT me to be a monster so you can once again be right, be praised, and have everyone here celebrate just how WONDERFUL you are, RIGHT?"

****'s grip began to loosen and much to Vanellope's surprise, the hand took a hold of her gently.

Tenderly.

She looked, seeing ****'s hand shaking slightly, the hardened look on her face breaking. Her eyes seemed glossed, pained.

"You think I'm a monster, just like everyone else." The woman said, her voice shaking "I'm used to it. I've been used to it for almost twenty years, kid."

"W-wait, no!" Vanellope found herself saying much to her shock "I-I never…."

"_But I'm not going to let you have it…._"

"W-what?"

"I'm tired kid….I'm so tired. You can keep thinking what you want, but I'm not going to let you have that satisfaction. I've let too many people use me and the LAST person I'm going to let myself break down towards is some lil shit like **_YOU!_**"

Vanellope jolted back, once again faced with the cold glare of the woman.

"I'm just going to give you a warning kid."

"And that would be?"

"I would reconsider who you consider your FRIENDS in this place…."

Vanellope arched a brow "Why?"

"Those kids? The ones everyone seem to enjoy mocking? They get it. But guess what? They've still stuck around you and been by your side since the reset. And yet, they're treated like crap, not even allowed to prove themselves over a bunch of brain-dead THUGS who would drop you the second you do something THEY don't like."

"How can you-!?"

"I know kid…." **** finally said, her back still towards the girl "I've spent most of my life being pulled by people like that. Those kids will be more loyal to you than them…but I'll guess you'll only believe that when its too late, I guess."

And with that, **** left the room, shutting the door behind her softly. Vanellope was left on the floor, her legs like jelly and her mind scared. What exactly had happened? She was sure when she entered that she would be able to handle **** but as it turned out, the woman was much more cruel than she had feared.

But there was something about her cruelty. The more Vanellope went back, the more she felt as if **** was crying out for help, the truth showing in her eyes. It wasn't as if Vanellope could help however, no matter what she did.

And there was the simple fact that Vanellope DIDN'T want to help.

**** had shown her true colors before her and even if no one else saw it, she wasn't going to allow herself to be blinded by the act.

Vanellope was tired of acts, tired of lies.

**** had said that she was a monster and that's just how Vanellope viewed her.

A monster.

A threat.

An ENEMY.

If this was what **** wanted, then so be it.

But what was to happen now, when two powerful forces try to collide, neither side willing to give in to the other.


End file.
